This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 96, Section 95: A Certain Reopened Tavern
The demonic tide has been over for a long time, and Silent Wind Town seems to have returned to its former prosperity, only many faces are no longer the same.

If you ask the adventurers wandering the streets, what is the proof of the town's revival?
The answer is not in the rebuilt Adventurers' Guild Hall, nor in the new branch leader who will arrive in two months; the answer is right here and now!

because,

Just today,

On this March night,
Rotten Willow Tavern is reopening!

The adventurers, arm in arm, cheered loudly as they surged into the already crowded tavern, eagerly heading to the counter to order a glass of the cheap liquor they remembered.

If you were to ask who wasn't caught up in this cheerful atmosphere, the only one would probably be the owner of the Golden Sun Wood Tavern.

Today he was so free that he could lean against the door of his own tavern with his arms crossed, coldly counting the heads of people surging across the street.

Today, even the windowsills of the Rotten Willow Tavern are full of people.

Everything is the same as before.

The wooden door creaked open, revealing a dirty floor stained with wine, and the air reeked of sour, cheap liquor.

If there's any difference, it's probably that the boss has gone from a dirty, overweight middle-aged man to a stunningly beautiful woman in a uniform.

This brought a unique kind of fun to everyone.

I don't know what the guild was thinking, sending such a delicate beauty to manage this low-class tavern filled with vulgar adventurers.

No wonder they need a 1.9-meter-tall tiger-man as a hotel waiter...

At the bar, a woman named Mary wore a pure white priest's robe, the stand-up collar fitting snugly against her snow-white neck.

With a sweet smile, she handed the wooden wine glass to a lecherous customer in front of her, then cleverly withdrew her hand in time so that he wouldn't touch it.

The customer seemed unwilling to give up, and leaned closer with his glass in hand, saying, "Boss lady, are you a priest of the God of Light? This uniform suits you perfectly!"

“It’s just a personal preference to dress like this,” Mary replied with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the flippant tone in his words.

The drinker seemed unsatisfied with just empty words and reached out a hairy, groping hand toward Mary.

But halfway there, he was grabbed by a hand that was much hairier than him.

"What...what are you going to do?"

The drinker seemed to want to ramble on a bit more, but the tiger-man was too lazy to waste words with him. He grabbed the drinker's arm and dragged him out, ignoring the drinker's exaggerated screams along the way, and soon threw him out—this was already the 13th one tonight.

In a corner of the tavern, Norris was diligently cooking the grilled snake steak in front of him.

He arrived relatively early and managed to get an empty wine barrel to put his plates on.

He recently had a stroke of good luck; the nobleman-looking man he met in the dungeon had actually kept his promise and found him, giving him a gold coin.

He later learned that the man's name was Aidin, and he was a diamond-level adventurer.

For someone like him, even a tiny bit of flesh dripping from the fingertips of these powerful individuals is like a windfall.

With this gold coin, plus the 1 gold and 20 silver I've saved from mining, I'll be able to pay off my third round of debt this year. I can even treat myself to a nice meal now and then instead of drinking mushroom soup every day.

Just as Norris was basking in his own little happiness, an adventurer, pushing through the crowd, accidentally knocked over a wooden platter containing half a plate of honey-glazed roasted snake chops.

The snake meat rolled onto the wooden floor covered in black footprints, and Norris could almost hear the gurgling of his own stomach.

That delicious treat cost him a full 30 copper coins...

"Ugh—it's so filthy!"

The adventurer, who had kicked over the plate, disgustedly pulled at his trouser leg, his boot heel crushing the still steaming snake patties.

"You can't even find a decent place to eat shit." The adventurer, wearing a silver-level badge, grumbled as he left, seemingly already being lenient by not hitting Norris, who had dirtied his trousers.

Norris didn't stand up to argue, or even mutter curses; he just shrank back timidly, avoiding eye contact with those around him.

He was just a level 21 adventurer, the lowest level adventurer who had just crossed the threshold of bronze, and he was all alone and couldn't afford to offend anyone.

It's better to be a coward than to be dragged into an alley and beaten half to death.

I should have known better than to come and join the fun at the Rotten Willow Tavern...

People nearby noticed the little farce, but it only sparked a burst of laughter mixed with the smell of tobacco.

Adventurers believe in strength and courage; no one would stand up for a bronze-level coward.

Apart from……

"Stop!" Fei Ling blocked the silver-rank adventurer's path, her slender finger almost poking his nose. "You think you can just walk away after breaking someone's things? No apology or compensation?"

Behind her were Fei Yin, who had failed to hold onto her, and Vera, who looked helpless.

"Get out of the way!" The adventurer shoved Felyn's hand away. He glared at the girl, who was a head shorter than him, and reached out to push her away.

Shine——

Even in such a crowded environment, Vera's scimitar accurately pressed against the adventurer's palm. If he had pushed forward any further, his palm would have been pierced through—there are differences in strength even among silver-level warriors.

"W-What are you doing? This is a tavern!"

Being outmatched and having a knife pointed at him, the adventurer started to panic.

Although this is in the city, the tavern is full of fools who will risk their lives in a moment of passion, and he has no intention of gambling.

"I'll pay, I'll pay! Don't point a knife at me!"

The adventurer took two steps back, turned around, and decided to remember the guy who had made him lose face.

He didn't dare retaliate against Vera, who was stronger than him, but he could turn around and use that coward, who didn't dare to utter a sound even after he kicked over a plate, as a punching bag.

But when he turned around, he realized that the person who had been by the barrel had long since left, leaving only half a piece of trampled snake meat on the ground.

A tall figure pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the four people who had caused the trouble.

With her sensitive nose, Fei Yin even detected a faint feline body odor.

The tiger-man crossed his arms and looked at the four of them, turning his head toward the door.

The meaning is clear: Do you want to leave on your own, or will he help you leave?
"Damn it!" The adventurer who was kicked out cursed under his breath and quickly walked away from Vera and the other two.

"You cowardly bully!" Fei Ling glared at the adventurer's retreating figure, still seething with anger.

Vera could only sigh. He had just ordered the specialty dish, the puji noodles with sauce, and hadn't even taken a bite before being kicked out...

"Let's find another place to eat, I'm still hungry."

The three quickly found a restaurant that was still open, but after they sat down, they discovered that there was a guy sitting at the next table who was slurping up fluorescent mushroom soup with his head down.

"It's you!"

Fei Ling immediately recognized the guy she had offered to help but who had run away first.

Norris, whose mouth was gleaming, instinctively shrank back, his eyes darting around in a panic, though he didn't know what he was afraid of.

Perhaps it was because the girl in front of me had such a strong presence...

(End of this chapter)